Tag Archives: Gaza War

British writer Patrick Seal (The Struggle for Syria, etc.) and Abdel Bari Atwan, the editor of Al-Quds Al-Arabi discuss the relative indifference (if not outright complicity) of neighboring Arab states in the slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza.

In the second part of the program, the panel is joined by Israeli national security expert Efraim Inbar, whose charming views about the “unruly Palestinians” can be viewed here.

Seal appears to have nailed the real agenda of the Israelis, that has absolutely nothing to do with the pretext of preventing rocket attacks by Hamas.

Given the current state of the American economy, can it be long before Phil the Bricklayer, Rose the Teacher, Tom the Carpenter, Tito the Builder and so on are cynically recruited by Pajamas Media to join up with Joe Wurzelbacher to provide “average Joe Jew” stories from the Gaza conflict?

While I can certainly appreciate the feeling of being rather underwhelmed or somewhat dissatisfied by the official equivocations issued by the LPC with regards to the Israeli attacks on Gaza, to suggest there’s a direct connection between Ignatieff’s carefully parsed statement regarding the conflict and the tragic death of 40 people in the bombing of a school run by the United Nations is, quite frankly, depraved and utterly reprehensible.

TPM really comes into its own (not to mention living up to is name) with these mash-ups of the Sunday yak-shows and their often wickedly funny “Day in 100 Second” spots.

Having watched most of the shows involved here, this isn’t entirely representative of the full gamut of issues discussed, but naturally the Israeli attacks in Gaza dominated discussions. As noted by TPM, the shows “had far more questions to offer than solutions to the crisis.”

With regards to comments made on a prior thread referencing a couple of postings by Peter Hitchens I had recommended as worthwhile reading that were quite harshly regarded by some, understand that I wasn’t necessarily aligning myself with his position in its entirety, but more just appreciating what I regarded as reasonable and fair-minded ambivalence when coming to grips with the irrational mindset involved on all sides.

It never fails to amaze me how anyone can approach the insane clusterfuck of history, politics, nationalism and religion that is the perpetual conflict between Israel and Palestine with absolute certainty and righteously unmitigated conviction, but such is the case it seems…

Before getting too worked up about that bald assertion, I’d strongly suggest reading Peter Hitchen’s latest posting in the Daily Mail. Sensibly ignoring the “blame game” for the most part and cutting through the conventional spin from supporters on both sides, the younger Hitch sets out the case why Israel’s action is wrong morally and gravely mistaken politically:

First of all, the action will not achieve the aim that Israeli politicians claim for it.

Hamas missile raids on Sderot and other towns could be stopped only if Israel permanently reoccupied the Gaza strip from end to end. This is impossible.

The operation’s real purpose is to improve the standing of two politicians, Tzipi Livni and Ehud Barak, in impending elections.

Nobody should die for such a motive. Israel’s supporters should ask themselves this simple question: What do the leaders of Hamas hope to achieve by firing rockets at Israel?

The answer, quite obviously, is that they wish to provoke Israel into just this sort of futile, self-damaging retaliation.

A lengthier piece from earlier in the week elaborates on this position along with some broader observations on the nature of the conflict that are both fair-minded and thought provoking. Again, highly recommended reading.

As you’ve probably already heard if you’ve been watching the news, the Israeli ground invasion of Gaza started a short while ago.

It seems like a bloody exercise in complete futility, but there is an upside for Israel — it may provide a boost to that country’s economy. Seriously.

Bloomberg is reporting that “an increase in defense spending may help shore up the economy, which the Bank of Israel warns could be engulfed by the global recession.”

“If government expenses grow more than planned, that gives a boost to the economy and eases some of the impact of the slowdown,” said Ori Greenfeld, chief economist at Clal Finance Investment Management Ltd., Israel’s largest non-bank financial institution.